


wake me up before you go-go

by inberin



Category: Ensemble Stars, あんさんぶるスターズ! | Ensemble Stars!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, dumb fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 15:12:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4142424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inberin/pseuds/inberin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which makoto’s in a different school but takes the same bus every morning with one (1) akehoshi subaru, who never sleeps enough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	wake me up before you go-go

**Author's Note:**

> wow i never thought id fall this deep into makobaru hell
> 
> anyway enjoy

He didn't think people actually did these things outside of popular posts on the Internet.

At this time of day (7.38 am) and at this point of the bus' journey (far enough from its starting point but still far enough away from its end), there are more than enough seats for Makoto to choose from, though there doesn't seem to be any empty two-seaters. Instead, he swings himself into an empty seat beside someone in a hoodie.

The person next to him is sprawled over the rather bulky bag they have propped up on their lap, hood of their jacket obscuring their entire head. They seem to have been asleep for a while already, if he were to take into consideration the way their head lolls a little to one side and how their entire body seems to have slid slightly off the seat, with one arm sticking out and jostling Makoto from time to time. Which he would usually ignore, because he's a caring and understanding and forgiving person, if not for the message scrawled over the back of the salmon hoodie itself in white, messy fabric paint:

 _Please wake me up at the stop before Yumenosaki Academy!! Thank you!!_ ♪ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 

He stares at the almost-illegible handwriting and the number of unnecessary stars and wonders what sort of person, exactly, would bother with an entire hoodie dedicated to sleeping on a bus. But Yumenosaki Academy was about maybe three stops ahead, with Makoto’s own stop not long after, so waking this person up wouldn't be a problem at all.

He entertains himself for the next few stops by fiddling on his phone, and when the stop before Yumenosaki Academy approaches, he reaches over and taps the person gently on the shoulder.

They don't stir at all, even as the bus slows down and some other commuters begin to shuffle out of their seats. Makoto starts tapping harder as the doors open, but he might as well have been trying to wake a dead fish.

"Um, excuse me? Hello?" His tapping intensifies into something like slapping. "Hello! Please wake up! It's your stop!" He lets out a strangled cry and gives the stranger a good, hearty shake, and they finally jolt upright just as the doors close, and the bus starts moving again.

Well. He tried. He sighs and turns back to the now-awake stranger, who pulls off their--his hood, releasing a bright shock of orange hair before yawning widely and blinking blearily at Makoto. 

"You woke me up, right? Thanks," he says with a sleepy smile, rubbing absently at one eye. "I was afraid no one would."

"Yes, but you missed your stop anyway. I'm sorry about that." Makoto pulls slightly sheepishly on his bag strap.

"Oh, nah that's okay! I'm actually getting off at Yumenosaki itself, and I'm a real heavy sleeper so I always need at least one more stop to get myself conscious, hehe!" He pulls out a bright blue blazer out of his bag and shrugs it on over his hoodie. Makoto eyes the crest on the uniform, a curling elegant symbol. Yumenosaki Academy's style, without a doubt.

"And there's my stop now," the boy continues, hefting his bag onto his back and clambering past Makoto out of the seat. "Thanks again! I'm not going to be late today thanks to you." He grins widely, and it's so much brighter than his previous smile that Makoto just blinks numbly at him and watches as he makes his way out the door, and off the bus without a backward glance.

 

The next time Makoto sees the boy on the bus again there's someone else in the seat next to him, and instead of using his schoolbag as a pillow he has his head up against the window, with his mouth wide open. Makoto settles himself beside a middle aged businessman instead. 

He only realises that the message on the boy's hoodie isn't visible when the bus starts to leave the stop before Yumenosaki, and before he registers the action he's out of his seat and leaning unceremoniously over the commuter next to the boy, muttering apologies to the lady even as he shakes the boy as hard as he can until he sees blue eyes crack open and squint at him.

"Oh, it's you..." he mumbles groggily. 

Makoto’s almost sure that's drool on his chin. "It's your stop," he says, just as the bus rolls to a halt in front of Yumenosaki Academy.

The boy turns to stare confusedly out the window for a second, then lets out a magnificent screech, grabs his bag,practically vaults over the lady next to him, and speeds out the door in a ridiculously short amount of time. The bus begins moving again, so Makoto goes back to his seat, and looks out the window. 

 

The next time he sees the boy again, he isn’t looking. There’s a test coming up, and normally he’d be alright but he’s not done memorising the content this time, so there’s a sheaf of notes in his hands taking up his attention as he gets on the bus. There’s a pair of empty two-seaters, so he heads straight for it and settles himself down. _Semilunar valves → aortic + pulmonary valves. Atrioventricular valves → ...?_

“Hello!”

Right. _Atrioventricular valves → bicuspid + tricuspid valves_... what was that?

“Hey! It’s me, remember, the kid you saved from the bell twice?” Makoto puts his notes down. There it is again, that smile. “I never got to thank you properly, that last time.” The boy holds out his hand. “I’m Akehoshi Subaru! ‘Akehoshi’ as in ‘morning star’, but Subaru’s written in katakana. You got that?”

“I got that,” Makoto says bemusedly as he takes Akehoshi’s hand, who starts pumping both their hands up and down enthusiastically. “Yuuki Makoto. It’s good to know your name. Why are you awake?”

“Oh, haha! Can I sit here? Thanks. Yeah, I was waiting up for you, since I never got to thank you properly, you know? I stay about an hour away from school, so you should be thankful that I’m sacrificing precious sleep time for you!” He puffs up his cheeks in mock anger.

Makoto resists the temptation to poke them. “Yes, oh great Akehoshi, I feel truly honoured by this,” he says grandiosely, clutching his pearls dramatically. “However shall I repay this debt?”

“Now hold on a second, I’m the one who’s supposed to be repaying the debt here! We have zero dynamic, Ukki. This is so disheartening.”

Ukki? “What debt are we talking about here?”

“You waking me up, of course!”

Makoto blinks. “That’s not a very big deal, Akehoshi, there’s nothing to repay.”

“Well, it’s a big deal to me! I insist! But what should I do?” Akehoshi taps the side of his face in thought. “I could...wake you up as well?”

“...I don't even sleep?”

“Alright, that’s a bad idea. But it’s okay, I’ll figure this out somehow! I’ll come up with something that’ll make you happy!”

“Really, it’s no big deal--”

“--Oh! It’s my stop!” Akehoshi grabs his bag and stands up. “Nice meeting you, Ukki! I’ll see you again soon, yeah?”

“Y-yeah, sure?” It comes out more confused than agreeable, but Akehoshi doesn’t seem to notice, slinging his bag over his shoulder and waving at him as he leaves the bus and walks into school.

Makoto stares at the notes on his lap until he reaches his stop, and he picks them up again as he alights. _Systolic → contracts → pressure on arteries. Diastolic → relaxes → pressure off arteries._ Today, he feels like he’s in a constant state of systole. 

 

to: hokawaii ♥  
> hokuto!! do you know an akehoshi in your school??? 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Yes unfortunately

to: hokawaii ♥  
> ooh ok thanks~~

from: hokawaii ♥  
Why are you asking? Is he bothering you somehow 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Dont talk to him all he does is try to mooch money off you

from: hokawaii ♥  
Hes not a good egg Makoto are you listening to me

to: hokawaii ♥  
> aw hokuto are you wooooorrriiiieeeeddd :3c

from: hokawaii ♥  
I just dont even want to think about the two of you interacting

from: hokawaii ♥  
It would be jawdropping but in the trainwreck sort of way

to: hokawaii ♥  
> worrying gives u wriiiiiinkles

from: hokawaii ♥  
Forget I said anything

to: hokawaii ♥  
> hohoho ill be fine hokuto dont worry~~~

to: hokawaii ♥  
> if anything im more dangerous than he is >:333

from: hokawaii ♥  
Youre not wrong  
If youve finished your homework go to bed

to: hokawaii ♥  
> yes mooommyy

from: hokawaii ♥  
>:( 

to: hokawaii ♥  
> :3c

 

The next few times Makoto sees Akehoshi, he’s still wearing his salmon hoodie with the two zippers and the message written over the back, but his eyes are bright and blue and awake, and his laugh even more so. He likes the way they light up further when he jokes and laughs with him for the mere five stops they get to spend together. He likes his smile more than he would’ve expected to.

It’s around the fifth or sixth time he manages to take the same bus Akehoshi’s on that he sees him asleep again, sprawled out over his bag like the first time, the stars doodled over his message loud enough to be obnoxious. He sits himself down as quietly as possible as to him.

Akehoshi looks tired. For the first time, Makoto notices how he looks slightly gaunt, with dark circles under his eyes he figures were hidden by a distractingly loud laugh, a distressingly bright grin. Studying in a private academy an hour away from home is probably pretty taxing, Makoto figures. 

He tries to wake him up as gently as possible but ends up half-strangling him in the attempt anyway. "I fell asleep?" Akehoshi mumbles sleepily, indignantly. "Ah, why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"What for? You looked like you needed the sleep."

He's pouting as he gathers up his things and prepares to alight. "Sleep is for the weak."

"Too bad you're no stronger than a child, then," Makoto singsongs.

"I'll have you know I'm on the basketball team, Ukki! I could probably bench press you if I wanted." 

He snorts. "Sure, prove it."

"I will!" Akehoshi protests stubbornly even as he steps off of the bus. "I will, one day!"

 

"You haven't been sleeping," Makoto states.

"Yeah I have," Akehoshi retorts. "I've been sleeping every single day."

"Ah-HA! That implies that you were pulling all-nighters at some point in time recently, haven't you? _Haven't you?_ "

Akehoshi slides a little off his chair with the guiltiest expression on his face. "It's not my fault practices always end late... And I have schoolwork too, it's not fair."

"Are you still sleeping on the bus?"

He slides even further down his seat. Makoto sighs. 

"Stop that," he whines. "You sound like Hokke, it's weird."

Makoto blinks a little. "He lets you call him that?"

"Nah he doesn't, he hates it when I call him that. It's still funny though!"

"It's a cute nickname." Makoto adjusts and readjusts his sweater-vest. "Hey, I really think you should start sleeping in the bus again. You have your hoodie, so you should be fine even if I'm not around to wake you up."

Akehosh sits back upright. "There's always that chance, though! I'm not taking that risk, Yumenosaki has a strict policy on lateness, did you know that? Anyway, it's my stop, so I'm leaving now!" Akehoshi leaves a little more hurriedly than usual, but still stays to wave at Makoto until the bus drives out of sight.

 

to: hokawaii ♥  
> you let him call you hokke?????

from: hokawaii ♥  
He only calls me that if hes trying to borrow more money or if hes trying to piss me off

from: hokawaii ♥  
It works better for the latter

to: hokawaii ♥  
> hes never tried to borrow money from me though!!

from: hokawaii ♥  
Good dont give him any he just likes shiny things

to: hokawaii ♥  
> the shinest thing i have on me is my glasses :3 ill be fine

to: hokawaii ♥  
> he calls me ukki

from: hokawaii ♥  
He what

from: hokawaii ♥  
How did you even meet him and why does he have a nickname for you 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Makoto dont ignore me

from: hokawaii ♥  
MAKOTO

 

Akehoshi’s face brightens like a series of fairy lights when he sees Makoto get on the bus. "I've been waiting for you, I want to tell you something Hokke did the other day, it was super funny--"

"Sure, sure," Makoto laughs, "just give me a second to put these notes back in my bag, okay?" He hoists his backpack up onto his lap to shove his history notes back in, then zips it all up. "Right, you were saying?" 

Mouth slightly parted, head lolling against the window, Akehoshi isn't anything apart from soundly asleep.

Makoto takes a breath, exhales, deeply, then reaches over to prod at Akehoshi’s cheek. The blue eyes flutter open almost immediately, and he goes slightly red in embarrassment. "I fell asleep, didn't I."

"Why haven't you been sleeping properly?"

"Like I said, I have schoolwork, Ukki," Akehoshi whines. "Don't be mean about something I can't help."

"Right, I'm sorry." He laces and unlaces his own fingers. "But... the bus? A nap is a nap."

"Alright, I have no excuse for this one." He laughs softly and rubs his neck self-consciously. "I just wanted to talk to you, I guess. Is that a bad thing?"

Makoto stills.

Akehoshi notices. "Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! That was weird, wasn't it?" He laughs. "You're right, though, I should get more rest. I will, so don't worry about me," he coos.

When he leaves, all Makoto can think about is how he hadn't been able to speak, and how he didn't like that laugh at all, but he'd liked everything else. Everything else about Akehoshi.

 

 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Alright what did you do

to: hokawaii ♥  
> im sorry for eating that pudding of yours two years back hokuto-sama!! please forgive me :'3

from: hokawaii ♥  
What wait do you mean that was you

from: hokawaii ♥  
No thats not the point right now 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Why is Akehoshi sad 

to: hokawaii ♥  
> hes sad??? why???? and why are you asking me?????

from: hokawaii ♥  
'That cool friend of yours from another school' is about all he ever talks to me about

from: hokawaii ♥  
And hes also all you talk about too now that I think about it 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Hes been quiet all day and hes never quiet so what did you do 

to: hokawaii ♥  
> please tell him to rest well :3 he needs it!

from: hokawaii ♥  
Thats not really an answer Makoto

from: hokawaii ♥  
Makoto

to: hokawaii ♥  
> i think the words specialist has failed this time round hokuto 3:

from: hokawaii ♥  
Im listening 

 

_Hokuto, you're so smart, why won't you let me copy your homework?_

_Hokuto, you're so uptight, why don't you go on and hang with the others?_

_Hokuto, you're so beautiful, why won't you look me in the eye?_

 

There's another bus to his school. It goes along mostly the same route, and takes about the same amount of time for him to get there. He gets on that bus on the next school day.

And the next.

And the next.

 

_I'm sorry, Makoto, but I can teach you how to do the questions instead._

_I'm sorry, Makoto, but I just wanted to talk to you a little longer._

_I'm sorry, Makoto, but that's not how I feel about you._

 

Makoto finds ways to occupy himself on his new relatively shorter journey. He reads books, he finishes some homework, he does his readings, he looks up the news on his phone for his broadcasting stint. But he gets headaches reading on a moving bus, his pen keeps streaking off on its on own and defacing his papers, he gets even worse headaches from reading notes, and there's only so many pieces of news that people haven't actually already known about. 

He looks out the window and tries not to think, most days.

 

_Is that okay, Makoto?_

_Of course! I'm okay with anything, as long as its you._

 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Youre stupid you know

to: hokawaii ♥  
> why are you suddenly being mean to me :'3

from: hokawaii ♥  
You can go back to taking your old bus now that the exam periods are over and Akehoshi is looking a lot less like a walking zombie

to: hokawaii ♥  
> um ok how did u know i changed my route

from: hokawaii ♥  
I'm smart

from: hokawaii ♥  
And it helps that Akehoshi tells that basketball team friend of his a lot of things

to: hokawaii ♥  
> since when were you better at information gathering than i am :'3 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Since we went to different schools 

from: hokawaii ♥  
And also ever since you got real dense and silly

from: hokawaii ♥  
Being worried is a pretty shallow reason to be avoiding someone isnt it

to: hokawaii ♥  
> whats your point just spit out whatever youre trying to say 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Stop being stupid and stop running away

from: hokawaii ♥  
And before you ask I care because youre my best friend 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Did any of that get through your thick skull

to: hokawaii ♥  
> this is such a touching moment hokuto-chan :'''3 aa my heart is beating soo ooo fast

from: hokawaii ♥  
Look I'm going to bed just think about what I said and do something about it

from: hokawaii ♥  
It doesnt feel right to see Akehoshi all down like this

to: hokawaii ♥  
> i know the feeling

from: hokawaii ♥  
Then do something

to: hokawaii ♥  
> i will >:3 goodnight hokke~~

from: hokawaii ♥  
For goodness sake dont even start

 

There’s someone sitting next to Akehoshi when Makoto next sees him on the bus, but the patron is so visibly distressed by Akehoshi’s silent gaping and the ruckus he makes right after that she evacuates her seat in the space of seconds.

"Be quiet! Look, you chased someone away, you nuisance," Makoto tries to scold, but Akehoshi's smile is so bright. He's outright sparkling, almost. 

And he doesn't seem angry at all.

"Ukki! You came back!" Akehoshi gushes. "I was worried you weren't going to!"

"Oh, y-yeah, I...took the earlier bus," Makoto bluffs so half-heartedly he can almost see his clubmates cringing at him. "For early morning broadcasts."

Akehoshi’s beam goes slightly wry. "Pants on fire. I took the earlier bus too, and the later one, but I didn't find you. But it's alright! I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe we just managed to miss each other," he coos teasingly. "Such bad timing, eh?"

"Yeah." He swallows down the guilt and tries to look at anything, anywhere but Akehoshi's face. He's wearing a different hoodie. Not salmon anymore, but more a dark pink, like red. "New jacket?"

"Oh!" Akehoshi's eyes begin to dart shiftily about as well. "Um. Yeah! I had to, uh, wash the old one. Yup!"

"...You are a _horrible_ liar."

"Ha! Like you're any better!" Akehoshi scoffs.

"You wrote something on the back, didn't you? Show it to me!" Makoto tries to shove Akehoshi off his seat, but he squeals and tries to bat Makoto away. "Did you draw something really embarrassing? I wanna see, I wanna see!"

Flailing a bit more, he eventually gives up and lets himself be pinned to the window. "Just for the record, I _let_ you win, Ukki," Akehoshi points out. Makoto knows that. But he's more preoccupied about what the writing on the back of the jacket means.

"Why are you asking people to wake you up before I get on the bus?" 

Akehoshi slumps back into his seat, face scarlet. "I figured fifteen less minutes of sleep to talk to you would be more cost-efficient than staying awake for the whole journey, so I nabbed one of Isa's old jackets to vandalise. So I get to sleep _and_ talk to you. Best of both worlds, right?" He smiles small, and it looks sheepish but there it is, that mischievous spark in his eye.

"I'm sorry–"

"That's fine. I mean, I know what it feels like, to need to get away. And it's fine, since we're friends, right, Ukki?"

It feels like Akehoshi's holding his breath. But what for? "Of course! Of course we are."

Akehoshi exhales. "That's a start," he mumbles.

Makoto blinks. "What is?"

"That... that we're friends. Because I'm planning on gunning for this next." He reaches out and taps Makoto chest, almost shy, but never averts his gaze. "If that makes you uncomfortable in any way, Ukki, you should probably tell me now."

Makoto blinks again. "No. That doesn't make me uncomfortable at all," he says. "I'd like to see you try, actually."

"Would you?" Akehoshi waggles his eyebrows, but the grin is back full-force on his face, and Makoto can't help but grin along.

"Look, I'm glad you're having fun, but aren't you forgetting something?" Makoto points out.

"Like what?" Akehoshi bats his eyelashes coyly. "You have something you want to give me? Maybe a little smoo–"

Makoto slaps a hand over his mouth. "I don't know! Hey, Akehoshi, is that your school in the distance? Wow, what a coincidence!"

"Fine, fine, hint taken," Akehoshi says, peeling Makoto’s hand off his face. "And it's Subaru now, okay?"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Subaru," Makoto says. Makoto promises.

"You'd better," Subaru says, pressing a quick peck to Makoto’s hand, still cradled in his. "I'm off, then."

"Get out of here," Makoto calls, redfaced, as he jumps off of the bus. "Good riddance!"

There's that brilliant, brilliant smile on Subaru’s face. Makoto decides that it's his favourite.

 

to: hokawaii ♥  
> HOKUTO 

to: hokawaii ♥  
> HOKUTO

to: hokawaii ♥  
> HOKUTO

from: hokawaii ♥  
MAKOTO

from: hokawaii ♥  
If youre here to tell me about whatever's got Akehoshi smiling like an idiot for the entirety of today I'm not sure if I want to hear it

to: hokawaii ♥  
> :3c

from: hokawaii ♥  
Have I ever mentioned I can imagine you doing that and its the most ridiculous thing 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Fine I'll listen but I need to ask something 

from: hokawaii ♥  
Did the idea of exchanging numbers not cross either of your idiot minds for a full term

to: hokawaii ♥  
> :o

to: hokawaii ♥  
> :O

to: hokawaii ♥  
> HOKUTO

from: hokawaii ♥  
Thought so

 

 

to: subaru  
> um hi!! is this subaru

from: subaru  
ukki?????is that u?????

to: subaru  
> :3

from: subaru  
:-D


End file.
